Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson has launched a product that brings us back to a time in his career that is very memorable!

According to The Mirror, the legendary boxer recently launched his very own line of edible gummies, “Mike Bites.” The cannabis product celebrates the controversial boxing match that got Tyson suspended when he bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield’s ear. That fight took place in 1997.

Mike Bites will be sold at dispensaries in three states, Massachusetts, California, and Nevada. Tyson’s company, Tyson 2.0, announced the product line via its Twitter account earlier this week.

Holy ears! They’re finally here! Go get your Mike Bites now 👂😤 pic.twitter.com/BCbXcdYcra

— ItsTyson20 (@itstyson20) March 15, 2022

The said gummies will be ear-shaped in honor of the iconic yet controversial 1997 heavyweight match between Tyson and Evander Holyfield in which he bit his opponent’s ear.

 

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A post shared by Tyson 2.0 (@itstyson20)

Tyson 2.0 CEO Adam Wilks feels that this will be another successful cannabis product for Tyson. He sat down with Yahoo Finance in an exclusive interview with his partner, co-founder and chairman, Chad Bronstein. When asked why Tyson has been successful in the cannabis space, Wilks stated it is because of the former boxer’s authenticity.

“Honestly, it’s one word—authenticity. Mike’s the most authentic celebrity athlete that there is in the cannabis space. There are so many celebrities that have tried to do what we’ve done with Tyson 2.0, but unfortunately, none of them have been as successful as we have. Mike has been an advocate for cannabis his whole life and is open about the benefits that the cannabis plays in Mike’s life.”

Although the bitten ear-shaped gummies are patterned after Holyfield’s ear during the 1997 fight, Holyfield isn’t getting a “piece” of the profits. Although the two are on good terms now, Bronstein said they will be “reaching out to Evander, and we hope—I think at this point, I think it should be hopefully a positive response.”

Tyson 2.0 CEO Adam Wilks and Co-Founder Chad Bronstein discuss working with former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson to create ear-shaped cannabis-infused gummies: pic.twitter.com/ANFZatfjth

— Yahoo Finance (@YahooFinance) March 16, 2022

• News

by Atiya Jordan

March 17, 2022

North Carolina Pastor Hosts ‘Gas on God’ Event, Gifting $10,000 In Gasoline Cards

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With gas prices nationwide approaching an all-time high last week, a pastor from Charlotte, North Carolina, wanted to alleviate some of the financial burdens families face.

As Spectrum News 1 reported, Pastor Brian Carn of Kingdom City Church hosted a “Gas on God” event last weekend, gifting $10,000 worth of free gas to more than 300 drivers on the west side of Charlotte.

He said running out of gas is a feeling no one wants to have, especially when children are involved. So he wanted to offer blessings to the community.

“Whenever people have to make a choice between gas and children going to school or eating, it’s a real tragedy,” he said.

According to the American Automobile Association, the current average cost of gas prices in North Carolina is $4.139. Gas prices continue to soar due to post-pandemic inflation and the effects of Russia’s attack on Ukraine after the Biden administration banned Russian oil and other fuel imports to the United States.

JPMorgan estimated more than 4 million barrels per day of Russian oil had been effectively sidelined. As per CNN, investors are essentially pricing oil at a higher price as if Russia’s supply isn’t available at all.

“We got to get out here. People are hurting. People have situations,” Carn told WCNC. “One man literally pushed his car up here, was out of gas. Another lady came and said, ‘I don’t need gas, but I need prayer.’”

Founded in September 2016, Pastor Carn has overseen the expansion of Kingdom City Church into three total campuses in Charlotte, Jacksonville, Florida, and Houston.

The collective also distributed grocery gift cards and delivered drive-up prayers and encouragement for those in need at the event. Volunteers kept drivers motivated and positive, while some waited for hours to fill up their tanks.

One of the volunteers at the event, Angela Ashley told WCNC, “All this stuff going on in the world, so we’re trying to make sure everybody got gas and everything, food, whatever. There’s a shortage of everything, so we’re trying to be a blessing to the people.”

Earlier this month, the Recording Academy (the organization that presents the annual Grammy Awards) released the Women In The Mix Study, which explores the experiences of women and gender-expansive people in the music business. The study was developed in collaboration with Arizona State University and Berklee College of Music Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship to help create a more inclusive and equitable industry. However, the findings reveal that a lot more work needs to be done.

According to the study, women in the music industry work multiple jobs and long hours to make ends meet. More than half (57%) have two or more jobs, while 24% work between 40 and 51 hours each week, and an additional 28% work more than 50 hours per week. Plus, 36% earn less than $40,000 per year.

In addition to being overworked and underpaid, the study finds that women are severely underrepresented in the industry, accounting for 21.6% of artists, 12.6% of songwriters, and just a mere 2.6% of producers.

Furthermore, the findings, which surveyed over 1,600 women, reveal that 84% of respondents faced discrimination. Seventy-seven reported being treated differently due to their gender, while 60% said they faced ageism. Meanwhile, women of color reported the highest level of discomfort and job dissatisfaction. Gender-expansive individuals were also less satisfied than CIS women by a 16% margin.

“The Women in the Mix study is a groundbreaking account of the realities and decisions that we as women working in music are publicly and privately making each day,” said Valeisha Butterfield Jones, co-president of the Recording Academy. in a statement. “By centering this study around active listening, learning, and building solutions, we’ve armed the industry with valuable data about the barriers affecting women in music and how we can together take a stand.”

Butterfield Jones, who was tapped to serve as the Academy’s first-ever Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer in 2020 before being elevated to co-president in June 2021, says one way to drive change and equity is through metrics.

“You can’t change what you don’t measure,” she told BLACK ENTERPRISE. She added that the Academy plans to take measurable action to ensure “women are safe, that we feel like we belong in these environments, but also that we have true equity and parity across the board.”

In addition to sharing their experiences, more than 1,000 respondents provided suggestions to promote progress and equity in the music industry. The Academy, ASU, and Berklee used that data to propose several recommendations for the music industry to help foster representation for women. This includes recruitment pledges to hire diverse and robust candidates, paid internships, and soft skill development initiatives. Other recommendations include mentorship, grants, and raising funds for advocacy groups to help level the playing field for women.

Furthermore, to help address issues surrounding access to resources and opportunities, the academy issued $10,000 grants to the following organizations that support the growth of women and girls in music: Beats by Girlz, Femme It Forward, Girls Make Beats, She Is the Music, and Women’s Audio Mission.

During an Instagram Live interview with The Recording Academy, actress and trans activist Michaela Jaé (MJ) Rodriguez urged the music industry to prioritize women’s pay to create real change.

“It’s as simple as that. We work hard. And if we’re being overworked, then we need to be paid for the overtime that we’re doing,” said the Pose star. “If you are there and you are equipped and qualified to do the job, then you should be getting the pay that you deserve.”

Likewise, legendary musician Sheila E. took to Instagram Live to discuss how the Academy can make a difference and help amplify women in the music industry.

“Yes, we’re overpaid, and we’re overworked, and in 2022, maybe now we, as women, will get paid…what we should have been getting a long time ago.” She added, “I do think that we’re moving in the right direction. I just feel that it’s so easy, just to do the right thing.”

Watch The Recording Academy co-president Valeisha Butterfield Jones’s exclusive interview on her mission to increase diversity and equity in the music business and the upcoming Grammy Awards on The New Norm With Selena Hill.

• Lifestyle

by Atiya Jordan

March 17, 2022

Meet Yolanda Williams: Conscious Parenting Coach Helping To Break Cycles Of Racial Trauma

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Racial traumas are experiences that can build on each other and chip away at your emotional, physical, and spiritual resources as parents, impacting the quality of parenting relationships.

Yolanda Williams, the founder of Parenting Decolonized, started an online community to support Black parents and caregivers trying to break the cycle of racial trauma from the calamitous legacy of racial discrimination and slavery.

Williams is a conscious parenting coach and a racial justice educator, offering a digital village with tools she deems necessary to decolonize minds, raise liberated children, and foster positive disciplinary practices. She provides one-on-one coaching sessions with parents to help them manage their triggers and learn conscious parenting techniques that will help them feel more connected to their children.

In addition, Williams produces the Parenting Decolonized podcast. She and her guests discuss “how to use conscious parenting as activism against white supremacy and how to raise liberated Black children without breaking their spirits,” as per the website.

When Williams became pregnant at 36, she was confronted with her past childhood traumas.

According to the WBUR, she grew up in a familial environment where financial burdens, alcoholism, and violence heavily impacted her as a child.

“I didn’t like children and I didn’t want to be around them, and I realized, it wasn’t until after I had my daughter Gia, I realized that was because of how I was raised,” she says.

“I felt like I was a burden. And so, I saw children as burdens. I didn’t see them as the wonderful teachers that they are, that now I can see them as.”

While pregnant, Williams decided to take a deep dive into her own childhood trauma. She found it necessary to overcome her trying experiences to avoid raising her daughter in the same way she was raised. Her healing journey wasn’t easy as she set out to study childhood development and seek advice from mommy classes. However, Williams felt that none of what she was learning resonated with her, especially the weight of race issues on single motherhood.

Williams didn’t want other parents to have to face discomfort alone to break this cycle. Her work speaks to the type of co-creating relationship she desires with her daughter.

“Our children need us to dream bigger, think inward, and transform our pain into peace,” she wrote in an article for Parents. They need us to learn about decolonizing our parenting and start on the path to healing, individually and collectively. The journey to being a more conscious, intentional parent is never easy, but for our kids and for the culture, it’s definitely worth it.”

• Celebrity News

by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors

March 17, 2022

Ashanti Announces Historic Partnership with EQ Exchange at SXSW

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At SXSW, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, author and entrepreneur Ashanti, announced her historic partnership with EQ Exchange.

Founded by tech entrepreneur Janice Taylor, EQ Exchange is the first female-owned tech company in Silicon Valley and is a Web3 company that’s dedicated to empowering musicians and rewarding their fans, through blockchain technology.

Ashanti made history in 2002 with her double-platinum, self-titled album “Ashanti,” which still holds the Guinness World Record as the highest selling debut by any female artist in music history. The album landed the #1 spot on both the Billboard Top 200 and R&B album charts, selling a whopping 504,593 units in its first week and set a SoundScan record as the most albums sold by any debut female artist in the chart’s history.  Ashanti has released six studio albums and received eight Billboard Awards, a Grammy, two American Music Awards, two Soul Train Awards, six ASCAP Awards and many more awards and illustrious honors. She has continued to reign at the top as one of Billboard’s “Top Females of the Decade from 2000-2010” and continues to break Billboard records as having a Hot 100 entry in the 2000’s, 2010’s and 2020’s.

As the 20-year anniversary of “Ashanti” approaches, the singer makes history again in music and technology, being the first, Black female artist to be a co-founder of a Web3 company. During her conversation on the SXSW main stage with Janice, they discussed the partnership, as well as the creative economy, future of Web3 and female empowerment.

For the past 12 years, Janice has been a pioneer in the tech industry, developing technologies to protect children online and to build software that supports social and emotional learning. As a 3X founder, Janice is bringing her expertise in human behavior, building tech-inclusive products to Web3, by making EQ a marketplace for creators to access capital fairly, transparently and equitably.

Ashanti recently made headlines when she shared plans to reclaim her power as an artist and entrepreneur by re-recording her debut release for a special anniversary edition. With the 20th anniversary of her debut album approaching on April 2, anticipation is high around this partnership, new music, her upcoming book, UK tour and Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“It’s so important to me to get the message out that artists should own their intellectual property,” Ashanti said.

“By empowering myself through new technology, I’m trying to help other women avoid going through the things that I’ve been through. The future belongs to those who take control and make it their own.”

“Ashanti is paving the way for the next generation of artists in the new creator economy. EQ Exchange could not have asked for a better partner as we work together to change the game for all artists, particularly women and people of color,” says Janice Taylor, founder and CEO at EQ Exchange.

As co-founder, Ashanti will release creative experiences and NFT’s exclusively with EQ Exchange.

To celebrate this moment, Ashanti gave a surprise performance at SXSW at Empire Garage.

After his attorneys put in a request to have their client released pending the appeal of his case, Empire actor Jussie Smollett was released from jail on Wednesday.

According to NBC News, a court has granted a motion Wednesday that allows Smollett to be released from jail pending an appeal. The motion requested that the sentence be stayed or placed on hold. The actor left jail around 8 p.m., got into a waiting vehicle, and left without answering questions.

Smollett is appealing a recent sentence of 150 days in jail after being convicted of falsely reporting to police that he was the victim of a racist and homophobic attack in 2019.

Last week, Cook County Circuit Judge James Linn also gave Smollett 30 months’ probation in addition to the jail term. He was also instructed to pay approximately $120,100 in restitution to the city of Chicago and was also fined $25,000.

Smollett’s attorney, Nenye Uche, stated that his client’s process has been unconstitutional.

When Smollett was arrested and indicted in 2019, the charges against him were initially dropped. A deal was made that included community service and a $10,000 bond forfeiture. After the agreement was reached, a special prosecutor was appointed, and Smollett was then indicted in 2020, which led to the recent trial, conviction, and sentence.

“In this country, you cannot punish a person twice,” Uche said to reporters.

Earlier this year, according to TMZ, lawyers for the former Empire actor filed an emergency motion on Monday asking a judge to release Smollett from jail while awaiting his appeal. They claim several factors should be considered in releasing him, including threats sent to his family and his mental health.

As BLACK ENTERPRISE previously reported, the now-disgraced former Empire star was found guilty of five counts of disorderly conduct for making false crime reports to Chicago police, saying he was a hate crime victim in 2019.

A coalition of six of the nation’s top independent concert promotion and event production companies are behind two current tours of legendary R&B singers.

The Black Promoters Collective (BPC) is on a mission to be the world’s leading producer and provider of culturally relevant live entertainment experiences. The BPC put together New Edition‘s Culture Tour and The Night 2022 tour with Maxwell, Joe, and Anthony Hamilton to kick off the venture.

Speaking with BLACK ENTERPRISE, Black Promoters Collective CEO Gary Guidry and President Shelby Joyner explained BPC’s purpose behind its amazing must-see shows that represent the soundtrack of the Black community.

“We felt it was time,” Joyner said about the inspiration behind the BPC. “With all that was going on in the country, and the difficulties with minority businesses, as well as minority communities to get equality within the marketplace, within our communities, within our homes, within our vehicles, it was time; it was time for a point of unity within our genre of business, which is the concerts and live entertainment field.”

During the lockdown of 2020, Guidry, Joyner, and others combined their trio of expertise within the event planning space to form a 100% Black-owned promotion company to stake a claim in the entertainment industry.

“We always talked about having collective buying power, bargaining, and just the best of the best coming together to form another vehicle for artists to partner with on a 360 basis,” Joyner added.

Speaking on the BPC’s legacy in the entertainment industry, Guidry shared his high hopes and expectations for his company.

“I believe that the legacy will be that there was a group of minority promoters that came together and actually did things the right way,” Guidry said.

“In this space, you usually don’t have a network of minority businessmen that come together, and actually put all the differences to the side.”

“Before we were a group, we are individuals,” Guidry continued. “And as individuals, we’re successful, but we believe if we could put our differences to the side, and all come together, that there’ll be other groups, and younger men, that’s in our culture that will look up to us and feel like they can do it to us as the Black Promoter Collective.”

“We are not just promoters. We are fathers. We are businessmen. We are brothers, we are husbands,” he added. “And the fact that we’re real, and people can feel like they can touch us, and they can follow our path. I believe that is going to be a lot of other young minority businessmen that’s gonna follow our lead in the future.”

With two R&B tours on the market, the BPC is only just getting started. In addition to working on the launch of their BPV TV network, partnerships with the likes of Tamika Mallory, young content creators, and a scholarship program with G Square Foundation.

“We’re going to start partnering with the new talent as well giving them a vehicle to enter into this live space,” Joyner shared. “So we got a lot of exciting things coming up in the future.”

• Business

by Derek Major

March 17, 2022

Naomi Osaka Brings On Colin Kaepernick and New President To Her KINLÒ Skincare Brand For People With Melanated Skin

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2018 US Open Champion Naomi Osaka, along with her partners at A-Frame Brands, announced the expansion of its leadership team for KINLÒ, Osaka’s functional suncare brand formulated specifically for people with melanated skin.

Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick and his partners, Canadian businessman Jim Nikopoulos and NHL veteran and activist Akim Aliu, have made a seed investment in KINLÒ. In addition, Kaepernick will join the brand’s board of directors.

KINLÒ sells a variety of skincare products for melanated skin, including its Golden Rays SPF 50+ sunscreen to protect against melanoma.

Kaepernick told BLACK ENTERPRISE KINLÒ’s cause, and sustainable products are what attracted him to join the brand.

“Not only does KINLÒ produce compelling and sustainable personal care products, but it also calls attention to the ways that melanated skin-toned communities are often marginalized in research around sun care and often excluded from clinical studies on skin cancer. I believe KINLÒ has the capacity to right this wrong,” Kaepernick said.

Kaepernick will join Osaka, brand President; A-Frame co-founders Hill Harper and Ari Bloom; and Naomi’s agent, Stuart Duguid. His investment group joins existing investors such as Forerunner Ventures, Initialized Capital, Bob Fisher, Endeavor, and Billie Jean King. 

Osaka has also brought on Brand President and board member Mia Meachem, who brings more than two decades of marketing experience across notable beauty brands including Drunk Elephant, The Estée Lauder Cos., and Burt’s Bees, to KINLÒ. 

Meachem said she is excited to join KINLÒ and bring her brand experience to the team.

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the KINLÒ brand, and for me, it was really meaningful to join a brand that was both female-founded and mission-led,” Meachem said. “Raising awareness about skin cancer and the impact of the sun on melanated skin really resonated with me.”

While skin cancer is less prevalent in Black people than others, the mortality rate for Black Americans with melanoma is three times higher than white Americans because it’s generally detected at a more advanced stage. KINLÒ’s mission is to bring awareness to skin cancer in melanated people worldwide to protect themselves, a mission that Osaka, Kaepernick, and Meachem all consider a priority.

“Time and again, history demonstrates that mainstream public health priorities and personal care products rarely, if ever, center Black and Brown communities. I’m honored to be joining a team whose vision unflinchingly prioritizes the well-being of our communities,” Kaepernick told BLACK ENTERPRISE.

Meachem agreed: “I think there has been this long-standing myth that you don’t need suncare if you have melanin in your skin, and that’s false,” she told BLACK ENTERPRISE. “Raising awareness and educating consumers alongside providing sustainable products; so really the importance of protecting your skin from the sun and also just understanding people of color do get skin cancer, so awareness on a broad spectrum is important.”

The name of Osaka’s brand pays homage to her bicultural heritage in the meaning of the name KINLÒ, with both Kin and Lo meaning ‘gold’ in Japanese and Haitian Creole, respectively. KINLÒ plans to begin partnering with retail outlets to bring more awareness to skin cancer in Black people and how KINLÒ’s products can help and protect melanated skin.

“Partnerships like these are indispensable to supporting Black entrepreneurship across a broad array of professional communities. In many industries, Black entrepreneurs like Naomi are leading the way in merging mission-forward business with social responsibility,” Kaepernick added.

“Despite their decades-long marginalization, Black skin and hair products have always been at the leading edge of the beauty industry. I’m glad to see them getting the credit and recognition they’ve long deserved,” Kaepernick concluded.

Former NBA basketball player Michael Beasley broke down in tears during an interview after discussing dealing with trust issues after people close to him stole money from him, even his mother. He said that “Everybody except for my kids stole from me.”

On The Pivot, a podcast featuring former NFL players Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder, and Fred Taylor, Beasley talks about how the misfortunes in his life have affected his mental health. The conversation was meant to discuss his playing days in the NBA, and it turned into Beasley confessing that he doesn’t have it all together mentally. Explaining to the hosts that he was living a good life during his basketball playing days, but now that they’re done, it’s not a great situation to be in.

The former NBA player, who played for seven different teams, including the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Miami Heat, talks about how everyone in his life has stolen from him and that he is done trying and ready to give up on himself.

The Los Angeles Lakers who were favored to win the NBA championship this season are failing miserably.

Despite LeBron James having a year that solidifies his legacy, the team is falling short and the frustration has reared its ugly head.

At Monday night’s Lakers game, which ended as a loss for the team, James became unhinged and was seen and heard shouting profanities at his teammates. During the second quarter as his teammates couldn’t grab a rebound and the whistle is blown against the Lakers, a foul is called. The future Hall of Famer screamed and cursed at his teammates for not getting a rebound. He bounces the basketball forcefully into the basketball court three times as the frustration in his face is evident.

LeBron is very mad pic.twitter.com/TS8EK8lq7V

— Italo Santana (@BulletClubIta) March 15, 2022

In another outburst that drew complaints from people who viewed the game, “King James” seemingly does a very intimidating move towards a 20-year-old Toronto Raptors rookie. This took place in the third quarter of the 114-113 Toronto victory at The Lakers’ home court at the Crypto.com Arena.

As Toronto rookie Scottie Barnes is competing with James to grab a loose ball, Barnes falls to the floor as James loses the ball as he touched the basketball last before it goes out of bounds. James grabs the ball and throws it directly into the body of Barnes as he lies on the basketball court. When the ball goes out of bounds, James walks over to Barnes in an aggressive manner seemingly as if he was about to pounce on the rookie. The intimidation tactic looked like it worked as Barnes walked away from James to avoid confrontation.

This loss set the Lakers back to a record of 29-39 and places their playoff hopes in jeopardy once again.

You talk about “intent” LeBron was definitely trying some garbage here pic.twitter.com/sewQz2YHEf

— Vivek Jacob (@vivekmjacob) March 15, 2022